Nothing seals the deal like having a signed contract before starting a job.
For my first couple of years painting murals I never had a contract or deposit understanding when I would set up a commission. Most of the time I have gotten lucky and didn’t feel like I needed it. The client is “really nice so I trust it” or “it’ll be fine it’s an easy mural”. Then once I’m finishing the last of the painting there’s some kind of problem or they’re being difficult and don’t want to pay until something on it is changed.
Luckily, I have never once gotten screwed out of money at the end of my commission but it does happen to people often when they put trust into a stranger.
Before agreeing to paint a mural you should have certain agreements in order for your own protection and also the clients.
These include:
Description & samples of mural
Estimate
Contract
Deposit
Liability
A proposal of your mural design
Obviously first things first, there needs to be a design in order. Whether it’s a design the client picked out themselves or one you’re designing for them.
I use Photoshop to put designs together for my clients. I will take the image they provided or I will put up my own design on a picture of the wall thats being painted. I then show it to them and make sure it’s what they want, correct size, and an appropriate design for that space. This is the best way I have learned to put together visual proposals without having any bad feedback from the Photoshop design being any different than the finished product. This gives my clients an exact idea of what it will look like moving forward.
Photoshopped Version
Mural
Estimate
I use Invoice.com to set up my estimates and invoices. They make it very easy for you to use by formatting the estimate/invoice page for you by inserting all of your clients information along with your business info and logo at the top of the page. Then it will send it directly from the app to your client. Here is a list of different invoice generating apps you can use:
Invoice.com
Honeybook.com
Billdu.com
Waveapps.com
Freeinvoicebuilder.com
Estimates are good for lining up everything that will be going into your job. It shows any extra expenses they may have, the cost of the mural, labor, etc. It’s basically a drawn up list of what everything is going to cost to get the job done. It also acts as an agreement for the project as well. You and your client would sign it and that confirms that you both agree on the price.
Estimate example on Invoice.com
Contract
This is probably the most important page in your agreements. This outlines the sealed promise between the client and the muralist. This agreement should explain all of the legalities and obligations for the specific job.
I find it important to also mention in your contract that because this is art and not a blueprint to a house, it may not be the EXACT replication of what the owner had envisioned in their head. Art is a form of expression that is different in all artists. Thats what makes murals so unique. Because there probably aren’t two alike. Unlike wallpaper.
The client needs to understand that due to this being art, there is a risk that is being taken. It needs to be in writing that all of the agreements still apply.
Study how others have made it
When I made my first contract I got my legal advice from studying another muralists legal ways. When I was first starting out I would look at my competition and see what they are doing in order to become successful. I would then go home and do the same for my business.
Contract/Deposit Example
I also offer a “Contract and Deposit” Template in my downloadable “Printable Packet” in the link below:
Printable Packet
Deposits
Deposits are another way to seal a deal with someone and to make sure you’re getting paid. Although I haven’t had any issues with not having a contract when I first started, I did have issues with deposits. Many jobs I’ve done I have not collected a deposit for. So I would be preparing and buying supplies all week for a job and they cancel it out of nowhere. Then I just did all this work including designing the entire project just to get nothing in return besides a “sorry”, if that. This is very common with this business when it isn’t treated as a BUSINESS.
Clients have more of a possibility of following through with a mural when they have already put down money towards a job that they know they will not get back if they cancel. My newest rule is within two weeks. You cannot cancel within two weeks of the job and get a deposit back. It used to be a month but I didn’t like that so now it’s two weeks. Deposits are something I require to be turned in with the signed contract and proposals before I start putting work into the job.
Liability
Having liability for your business insures that you are covered for any damages to yourself or property. Some of the descriptions you’ll see on a liability waver for a muralist would be:
Property damage
Third-party claims
Personal injury
Property insurance
Location
Some murals can be very dangerous to do as they are really high up on an exterior wall, on an awkward slant or surface, or even in a dangerous area like the side of a highway or public road. Liability insurance is very important to have incase something were to happen, you want to make sure you’re being covered. This is also something that should be included in all agreements sent to the client.
There are so many important factors that need to be considered when you start a commission for a client. Make sure designs are approved, deposits are explained, contracts are signed, deposits are paid, and liability has been mentioned. With all of these in order you are bound to succeed, and look professional while doing it.
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